Thursday, July 30, 2015

Elizabeth Arden, one of the most recognised
names in beauty, has announced the upcoming opening of its new boutique retail
store situated at 62 Queen Street, Auckland.

Lower Queen Street is fast becoming the
luxury precinct for top international brands and is a perfect fit for the new
Elizabeth Arden store.

From its modern façade and interior to its staff
of top beauty experts, the boutique will showcase the entire Elizabeth Arden
portfolio of skincare, colour and fragrances as well as offering unique beauty services
including hairstyling/blow dry, makeup application, luxury facials, nails,
lashes and brows.

“The Elizabeth Arden brand is well known in
New Zealand for luxury and quality, with a heritage of superior products,"
says Valerie Riley, General Manager of Elizabeth Arden New Zealand.“The new 62 Queen Street retail store will
be a reflection of the Elizabeth Arden global brand, a modern classic in
prestige beauty."

“Our goal is that when a woman enters the
store, she will have the opportunity to choose from the best technology in our skincare
lines (PREVAGE, Ceramide, Skin Illuminating, Visible Difference, Eight Hour
Cream), experience our innovative colour and foundation lineup, and discover our
extensive Elizabeth Arden fragrance portfolio (UNTOLD, Red Door, Green Tea, 5th
Avenue).We view this iconic
location as a pilot laboratory to experiment with new and exciting ideas for
products, promotions, and service driven events. The boutique will offer the
ultimate total beauty shopping experience.”

Elizabeth Arden 62 Queen Street, Auckland
will be opening in October 2015 and I for one, can’t wait to see what they do
with the space!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

I love the Chantecaille brand and I love a full brow, so it
really comes as no surprise that I would fall heads over heels for their Full
Brow Perfecting Gel from the get-go.

There are numerous products out there aiming to thicken and
condition brows but don’t actually do much of either that well, but this is
quite the opposite – giving sparse brows a kick in the butt immediately and in
the long run.

The clear brow gel not only grooms and holds hairs in place,
but also promises to promote brow growth while preventing hair loss. For
someone with increasingly sparse brows, this sounds like a dream come true! This
gel features a blend of panthenol and growth peptide that I really hope will
get things growing again, and it feels amazing too with zero stickiness factor.
It sets, defines and holds brows in place throughout the day, and is apparently
amazing when paired with the brand’s Waterproof Brow Definer for fuller,
shinier brows. I love that the brush offers longer bristles on one side and
tiny bristles on the other too, so you can really customize application.

For those unfamiliar with the brand – which is available exclusively
in New Zealand at Mecca Cosmetica – it is the creation of Sylvie Chantecaille and
is still a family business. With more than 25 years of experience and known as
one of the industry's foremost innovators, Sylvie has long been dedicated to
making women's lives easier, healthier and more beautiful.

She moved to New York in the 1970's and started a small
company of exclusive cosmetics with Diane von Furstenberg. Their successful
Madison Avenue business caught the attention of the Estée Lauder. In 1979,
Sylvie launched Prescriptives at Estée Lauder. With a new level of
science in its groundbreaking formulas Prescriptives went on to
become one of the best-selling cosmetics lines.

Fuelled by the desire to create a new company that combined
her own spiritual and holistic philosophy as well as an interest in
aromatherapy, Sylvie began her new venture in 1997. She launched Chantecaille
equipped with a well-researched understanding of the needs and wants of modern
women and invaluable contacts within the sourcing and manufacturing
communities. It began as a small fragrance house with four highly original
scents based on natural essential oils that presaged the next wave in cosmetics
and laid the foundation for the company's unique approach to beauty.

Supported by the business acumen of her husband as well as
the creative, strategic and artistic talents of her three children (that’s her
daughter Oliva above, check out those brows!), Sylvie has transformed
Chantecaille into a revolutionary skincare and cosmetics brand renowned
internationally for its technologically advanced approach to naturally
beautiful skin and I for one love it!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

I have been brunette and then blonde and then back again
many times over the years, and have to admit that when you’re blonde, you get a
little more attention. From haircare companies that is – all trying their best
to find way to keep blondes looking their best and rocking platinum like a pro.

Brunettes are always pushed to the back of the queue it
seems, mainly as whether you have a natural or manmade shade, chances are it
will be in much healthier condition.

Not always though, and haircare company Joico’s latest
launch, Color Balance Blue, finally shows brunette babes a bit of love with a
shampoo and conditioner duo that’s specifically designed for them.

Unlike any other product on the New Zealand market that I know
of, this colour enhancing pair uses tone-correcting blue pigment to banish
unwanted orange and brassy colours in brunettes – especially brunettes who like
me, have dabbled in ombre in the past. It’s ideal for brunettes wanting to keep
their balayage or highlights rich and full of colour, without having to resort
to a purple or silver shampoo for the ends and a straight up colour shampoo for
the roots.

Not only do these new products colour correct but they also
help preserve your hair colour, up to 89 per cent of it for 18 washes to be
exact.

“Joico’s Color Balance Blue is brilliant. I am using it on a
lot of my brunette clients at the moment, it removes brassy tones and keeps
brunette’s colour looking beautiful“, says Chinney Yeap of Dharma salon about
the new release, whilst celebrity colourist Denis De Souza, renowned for his
signature colouring technique, Sombre, and hair colourist to brunette faces
like Mila Kunis,

Rachel Bilson and Jaime Chung, says, “Brown tones can take a
beating from frequent shade shifting. I’m so happy that Joico's got a rescue
designed specifically for deep brunette hair”. He adds that he loves the way Color
Balance Blue Shampoo and Conditioner “help preserve colour against fading and
eliminate those unwanted warm, brassy, reddish tones that can creep up on your
clients as the weeks go by. It’s the perfect product to recommend to your
clients to keep them richly-brunette between colour services”.

Of course, Joico hasn’t forgotten about blondes, having also
just launched Joico Color Balance Purple, designed to remove yellow tones that
can diminish blonde’s hair colour.

Monday, July 27, 2015

As a breast cancer survivor I always appreciate it when a
beauty brand decides to “go pink” for the cause and actually commits to it year
after year. A lot don’t, believe me!

This is the ninth year that ghd New Zealand has served up an
amazing fundraising initiative for The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation,
having already donated an amazing $575,000 to the charity through sales of the
coveted ghd pink stylers.

This season, the limited edition pink range is even more
covetable however, having undergone an absolutely gorgeous vintage makeover. With
a sleek and elegant, retro matte powder finish with metallic pale pink accents,
the styling classics have moved beyond ‘need’ to ‘must have’, and you’ll be
supporting The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

This year there is also a wide variety of vintage pink
products, from the essential paddle brush (I have this in multiples, it is THAT
good) to the new ghd platinum™ styler.

The ghd vintage pink full line up is:

vintage pink ghd platinum™ $370

The no compromise styler with ghd’s patented tri-zone™
technology. The scientifically proven, safer-for-hair heat, allows you to
achieve healthier and shinier results in just one stroke. For every styler
sold, $20 will be donated to The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

vintage pink ghd air™ $250

The classic hairdryer is a styling must-have for creating
sleek blow-dries or bouncy volume. From every hairdryer sold $10 will go
towards supporting The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

vintage pink ghd paddle brush $39

Perfect for detangling, smoothing, taming and blow-drying
it’s a staple no matter what your hair type and $2 from every paddle brush will
be donated to The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

Van Henderson, chief executive at The New Zealand Breast
Cancer Foundation says, “Since 2006 ghd has raised more than $575,000 which has
gone towards breast cancer research and education here in New Zealand. We love
the latest limited edition vintage pink range from ghd and think it will be a
real hit.”

The ghd vintage pink range is available right now at
approved ghd salons & www.ghdhair.com/nz.
For more information call 0800 880 209.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

I went for to Louise
Gray Skin Care in Mission Bay a couple of week’s ago for a treatment and a good
old-fashioned signature Dermalogica Face Mapping. This is a thorough WOF for
the skin as per the brand’s modus operandi, and was a great way to check up on
how my skin was doing and also served a reminder as to how many Dermalogica
products I love.

One is the Dermalogica Sheer Tint SPF20, which has been around for a while but recently
got a facelift (pun intended) in the form of a new formulation. It offers three key functions in one, so could I guess be called Dermalogica’s
version of the BB cream. It combines skin health benefits (naturally), broad-spectrum
sun protection and a lovely wee wash of natural-looking coverage to reveal the
skin whilst correcting where it needs it. It has been
reformulated for improved wearability with a silkier and smoother texture, and
more universal pigment shades. It also includes Hydrolyzed Pearl Powder, an
ingredient rich in amino acids that has been used for centuries by the East to
promote radiant beauty and health. It means no chalky look or ashy shades,
making it a great pick for lots of skin tones. Hydrolyzed Pearl Powder is also rich in calcium, sugars and proteins, which all help
stimulate cell regeneration. It also increases hydration, reduces excess
melanin production, and inhibits the dreaded glycation, which leads to skin
ageing.

The oil-free formula
hydrates the skin with antioxidant Olive Fruit and Walnut Seed extracts, skin-conditioning silicone Dimethicone to protect and reinforce barrier lipids, and Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B-5) to aid in skin repair. Iron Oxide, a natural mineral in the formula, creates the sheer colour wash
that has such a flattering look on the skin.

So, start saving your pennies now because the all-new Sheer Tint SPF20 is available in Light, Medium and Dark, from 1st August 2015 for
the recommended retail price of $79.00. Love that!

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

I must say that I prefer to work out in the morning rather than in the afternoon,
but it takes something pretty damn special to get me up before 7am – and on a
Monday!

That special something happened yesterday, and took the form
of a pretty damn amazing sunrise workout with recently minted Nike Master
Trainer Kirsty Godso hundreds of feet above the CBD on the observation deck of
Auckland’s Sky Tower. Breathtaking? You bet, and most definitely in more ways
than one!

Auckland based Kirsty stepped into the global fitspo
fast-lane when she announced as one of six Nike Master Trainers chosen to
create a bespoke Nike+ Training Club workout called Zoom Fast, which was released
globally yesterday on the NTC App.

A first for a Kiwi, Godso’s Zoom Fast workout is included in
the new Nike "Find Your Fast" challenge - a 12-week program
consisting of killer training workouts specifically designed to help athletes
increase their speed and strength. Six Nike Master Trainers, including the pint
sized pocket rocket Godso, will release new training sessions over the
three-month period, each showcasing an area of expertise, including high intensity
training, yoga or barre.

“Being a Nike Master Trainer is a dream come true. I’m
addicted to fitness; it’s my therapy,” says Godso, and if you’ve ever seen her
in action you’ll know she’s not kidding. “If I have a great day or if something
really great happens, I celebrate with a workout. If I'm having a really bad
day, I go to the gym and walk out feeling way better. It cures everything for
me, and it is so rewarding to shift people’s perspectives on exercise.”

According to Kirsty Godso, if you aren’t having fun while
exercising you’re not doing it right and damn, does she always look like she’s
having fun! Whether she is running a high-intensity Nike+ Training Club (NTC)
class in New Zealand or travelling the world to share her passion for fitness
with the international NTC community, Godso endorses a message centred on
work-life balance, enjoyable workouts and building up the athlete in every
woman.

The workout was specifically designed around Kirty’s own
favourite shoe, the Nike Flyknit Zoom

Fit Agility shoe. The Nike Flyknit Zoom Agility brings
together the Flyknit and Zoom Air technologies to create a training shoe that
delivers flexibility, strength and
speed. The Flyknit upper acts like a second skin, allowing the foot to move as
nature intended, and its snug fit is a bonus for those of us with skinny feet
that struggle to find a shoe to match. I was given a pair for the workout and
they are destined to go down as amongst my faves too, the feel is that good.

Anyway, to find out more about the challenge, visit nike.com
or follow the Sport Feed in the NTC App.

Friday, July 17, 2015

If there is one way to bring a certain exoticism and dreams
of summer into your life this winter it’s by focusing on the soon-to-be-released
new fragrance from Jo Malone London, Mimosa & Cardamon.

With a scent that brings to mind fresh flowers, the outdoors
and light, Jo Malone’s newest is quite literally a breath of fresh air. Its
heady mix of golden mimosa and spicy cardamon blend together for a scent that
is mesmerising and sweet, with hints of sandalwood, heliotrope and damask rose
thrown in that had me from the get-go.

The incredibly young, clever and good-looking perfumer Marie
Salamagne - who created the new scent - says her inspiration
came from the old-world view of travel combined with the hedonism of
the sixties and the modern day bohemian. The paintings of Frederick Leighton
also served as a base for the scent.

“We looked at places like Marrakesh and Tangiers which were
bohemian havens in the sixties for people such as the Rolling Stones to
literary characters like Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited. Jo
Malone London wanted to draw on this inspiration but also bring a sense of
modernity to the scent. We looked at what the bohemian spirit means today from
new bohemian fashion with its eclectic prints, colourful pattern and drapery to
a love of travel off the beaten track.”

Salamagne worked with 100 per cent natural mimosa extract
sourced from Provence to give the scent its sweet, delicate and totally unqiue
touch. “The young branches were harvested by hand and the extraction carried
out immediately within two to three hours on fresh flowers in Grasse and
Tourrettes. The flowers harvested in the Tanneron were traditionally
processed: the first solvent extraction to produce the concrete, then a
secondary extraction with alcohol to obtain the absolute. One kilogram of
absolute is obtained with 500 kilograms of Mimosa.”

For me the fragrance conjured images of decadent bohemian
princesses like Talitha Getty upon first sniff, and it has grown on me more and
more. The home candle is also an absolute joy, and definitely brings the
sunlight on even a dark, wintry day.

Jo Maline London believes that fragrances are extremely
personal and that what works for one person, may not for another. Hence their
in store experience, where visitors can receive a sort of customised journey
when choosing a scent. So whether you feel the Mimosa and Cardamon suits you
better as a fragrance or as a room scent, that’s entirely up to you – I love it
as both. You can also layer the scent with other Jo Malone London offerings,
with top picks being English Pear and Freesia as well as the heady Red Roses.

The new Mimosa & Cardamon scent comes in a range of
products from cologne to body cream to scented candles, making it perfect
for both the home and for you, and it is available in stores this September.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Around this
time last year, Trilogy launched their first ever fragrance – the all-natural
Jua. The natural fragrance was created in partnership with So They Can, and was
a very special, limited edition product developed to benefit the not-for-profit
organisation, which works to educate and empower communities in Africa.

The natural
perfume oil had hand-harvested, cold-pressed Tanzanian sunflower oil as its
base, produced from one of So They Can’s social business projects. So They Can
invests in communities in severe need in Kenya and Tanzania, focusing on
education and building the local economy through enterprise, not aid. Their projects
are designed to build self-sufficiency in these communities, with the aim of
ensuring sustainable poverty alleviation.

Anyway,
fast-forward to 2015 and the New Zealand beauty company have released a second
fragrance offering in the form of the beautiful Raha Natural Perfume.

The proceeds
from Jua raised $20,000 - enough to provide an annual income for 50 women
sunflower farmers and harvesters in Tanzania – and with Raha they are aiming to
raise $30,000, which will again provide income for 50 Tanzanian women and will
also support a full year’s education for 500 children. One of So They Can’s
projects in Babati, Tanzania, teaches women efficient farming practices to help
turn their sunflower seeds into a sustainable business. In this land-rich area,
the project represents education in enterprise and self-sufficiency at its very
best.As a social business, all
profits are channelled back into the project to keep the cycle of education and
empowerment going. When you buy Raha, you create a connection to these
amazingly determined women and their families.

So how does it
smell? Well Raha apparently means ‘joy’ in Swahili (I love that) and the
inspiration for the fragrance was “the warm African rain which brings joy, growth
and survival. It cools the thirsty land, sharpens the crisp aromas of the bush,
and brings life to plants, animals and people.” It is an absolute joy to wear
that’s for sure; as crisp citrus top notes are balanced with floral blue iris,
warm vanilla and subtle spice undertones. I love that like Jua, it comes with a
roll-on applicator that makes it ideal for handbag duty and travel. When I
first got Jua last year I took it to Bali with me and it was the perfect travel
companion, especially as its natural composition meant that it was sun-friendly
too and the scent really thrived in the heat.

Trilogy worked
again with New Zealand-based French perfumer Yves Dombrowsky on Raha, and have
talked about the key challenges for a perfumer in creating a totally natural
fragrance. Achieving a high enough concentration to retain the fragrance in the
bottle and longevity on the skin is one; and having far fewer natural ingredients
to work with is possibly the greatest. Synthetic perfumes are simpler; the vastly
greater range of non-natural fragrance notes enables easier manipulation of the
scent, and synthetic ingredients and alcohol ‘fix’ the perfume so it lasts
longer.

Lastly, Raha has an RRP of $24.90 for a 7.5ml bottle, with NZ$2
from every bottle sold donated to So They Can. It is available now and at that
price you can definitely afford to buy one for yourself and one for a friend!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Monday, July 13, 2015

I don’t know about you,
but I find the short days of winter pretty hard going at the best of times. Add the school
holidays, a house move and an insane workload to that and you have a challenging time, so
I’ve been trying to put systems in place to stop both my immunity and my sanity
breaking down!

One of these is upping my
supplement game, because no matter how many good intentions we all have it is
very difficult to do all the right things all the time. Eating well but
stressing out, working out but not sleeping soundly enough… the list is
endless.

So as well as adding the
likes of lipospheric Vitamin C to my arsenal I’ve been trialling a bottle of GO
Healthy Mood Support VegeCaps, which are there to support your emotional
wellbeing whilst the former takes care of my immunity.

An easy to take one-a-day supplement,
these little babies can support a positive outlook and a relaxed state of mind,
without the drowsiness that you often get with drugs aiming to do the same. GO
Healthy Mood Support also helps to chill out over-stimulation caused by
caffeine and stress, while supporting mental clarity and focus – this is a
beneficial aid for anyone looking for a natural mood-balancing alternative, or
even as an addition to anti-depressants as unlike many supplements, GO Healthy
Mood Support can also be used by anyone taking prescription mood medication.
This is because its primary ingredient - L-Theanine - supports healthy levels
of the brain’s natural calming agents to promote a relaxing feeling of
wellbeing. During times of extra stress or panic, such as flying, interviews,
deadlines or public speaking, you can increase the dose to two-a-day, maximum.

The formula contains the
aforementioned amino acid L-Theanine with good reason: as well as being known
to support a balanced mood, normal mental focus, and help to reduce stress;
L-Theanine supports both the healthy production of neurotransmitters such as
dopamine and serotonin, as well as healthy alpha wave activity in the brain,
for mental clarity and a relaxed feeling of good mood and contentment.

Sound like what you need
right now? Then I highly recommend you check them out – they have an RRP of $29.90 for 30 or
$47.90 for 60. Stock up now and get planning for that tropical holiday!

Thursday, July 9, 2015

One of my biggest beauty bugbears is the use of plastic
microbeads, which are present in a wide range of personal care products such as
scrubs, shower gels and shampoos around the world.

These tiny, non-biodegradable pieces of
plastic get washed down the drain and out to sea where they are ingested by
marine life and disrupt the natural balance of our oceans. One study found that
around 35 per cent of fish examined had microplastics in their stomachs, and as
activists push for a ban on microbeads, cosmetic companies - and consumers – are
on the search for environmentally friendly substitutes

This seriousness of this problem has led to
an international campaign called Beat the
Microbead, which has seen California recently banning microbeads in
cosmetic products. For years, research has shown that beauty products made
with tiny microbeads, gritty cleansers that scrub off dead skin cells, have
been damaging water supplies, marine life and the ecological balance of the
planet.

Beat the Microbead reports that marine
species are unable to distinguish between food and microbeads. According to the
campaign, "over 663 different species were negatively impacted by marine
debris with approximately 11 per cent of reported cases specifically related to
the ingestion of microplastics". Just hideous, and to make things worse,
microbeads can act like tiny sponges, absorbing several other dangerous
chemicals, including pesticides and flame retardants. As they ingest
microbeads, marine animals also consume these other poisons and then often we
eat them.

So, it is with great joy that I can repot
that Trilogy’s Gentle Facial Exfoliant features in Fauna & Flora
International’s Good Scrub Guide, identifying products that use safe, natural
alternatives. Trilogy’s products have always been and will continue to be free
of plastic microbeads, and the formula is top notch too.

Formulated with natural, biodegradable and
non-abrasive jojoba wax spheres, Trilogy’s exfoliant gently polishes the
complexion, refining its texture and improving clarity without irritation or
compromising the skin’s natural barrier function. It is gentle enough (when
used properly) for even a reactive skin like mine, and it nourishes too.

In a nutrient-rich base of sweet almond,
evening primrose and certified organic rosehip oil, active honey enzymes and
camellia oil work to lift dead skin cells while botanical extracts of macadamia
nut and calendula soften and soothe your skin for a treat that leaves a gentle
glow as opposed to a red mess!

It’s also certified natural under the
internationally recognised NATRUE standard, and in store now.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

She has been at the forefront of Cool
Britannia since it officially became a ‘thing’, so it comes as no surprise to
see Burberry model Suki Waterhouse’s effortlessly disheveled, bouncy
blonde in another campaign: for haircare giant Redken 5th Avenue.
The British beauty has been named Redken’s newest muse, and face of the hair
care brand’s soon-to-be-released Diamond Oil Glow Dry.

Actor, model
and It Girl Waterhouse is a fashion industry favourite, known for her signature
blonde hair and killer fringe.As
well as her role as the current face of Burberry she has several upcoming movie
roles. Waterhouse has appeared on the covers of Vogue UK, Lucky, Tatler, Elle
UK, Allure UK, and appeared in Vogue, Love Magazine, Stylist, and Vogue Japan.

"Suki is
known for her chic style and effortless cool,” says Shane Wolf, Global General
Manager of Redken 5th Avenue. "She’s striking, multi-talented and dynamic.
She brings a great energy to Redken.”

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

“The idea for l’absolu was to create an extremely special
fragrance with an air of mystery that will endure. For Her L’Absolu embodies the ultimate
femininity with a pure grace.”

Narciso Rodriguez

A little while ago now, after a very long conversation
between designer Narciso Rodriguez and perfumer Aurelien
Guichard, they decided to define a new femininity in scent. The end result
was the beautiful For Her, which was a modern classic from the minute it hit
counters.

Fast forward to 2015 and we have a new incarnation of the
scent, and I guarantee that it will be a hit with fans of the original as well
as attract many more who like their fragrance on the deeper, more seductive
side.

Rich and intense, For Her L’Absolu still has the essential
duality of Narciso Rodriguez’s original For Her fragrance, but with a twist. In
creating For Her L’Absolu, Rodriguez was reportedly inspired by “modern
femininity’s profound evolution and duality”. The goal was to capture a more
powerful intensity without being overwhelming. “I’ve always been transfixed by
women who project strength with passion and radiate grace and beauty from the
inside out,” says the designer.

The campaign image of model Carmen Kass is captivating,
echoing both the sensuality and intensity of For Her L’Absolu, and the designer
says, “Carmen has always been very special to me since she was so much a part
of the original creation of For Her. She has a very pure beauty, innocent yet
somehow very sensual—and it is not just a surface beauty; she has real depth
and integrity.”

But back to the scent. For Her L’Absolu is raw and yet
refined, yet intimate—and flawlessly feminine. Absolute of jasmin transforms
the signature heart of musc in a heady olfactive composition. Soft amber notes
and smooth woody notes of sandalwood and patchouli then add a rich depth that makes
you feel like you’re wrapped in cashmere each time you spray it on. “Today the
notion of femininity is in constant flux yet remains simple at its core,” says Rodriguez.
“For Her L’Absolu is meant to encapsulate this core femininity with the utmost
grace and sensuality.”

The signature bottle for the scent is a deep aubergine, a
new colour for the range that definitely stands out on my bedroom window ledge.
Apparently aubergine was one of the very first signature colours from the house
of Narciso Rodriguez and remains an essential chapter in its ever-evolving
story. Originally inspired by ancient Chinese snuff bottles, the bottles in the
range are to die for, and this incarnation is no exception.

For Her L’Absolu is available from selected Farmers,
Department Stores and Life Pharmacy from

Friday, July 3, 2015

I do love an unexpected new beauty discovery, and I had one
about a month back in the form of Estée Lauder’s
Nutritious Vitality8 Radiant Moisture Crème. I had run out of my usual, super
hydrating daytime moisturiser and spotted the newbie from Estée sitting waiting
on my desk for review. It claimed to be an “energizing moisture cream to
recharge skin’s radiance”, which was exactly what the doctor ordered so I took
the plunge (usually I stick to a pretty strict skincare regime, so this was
HUGE).

So was it up to standard? Hell yes, and then some – it really did “power up” my
skin, giving in an instant infusion of intense hydration that moisturised and
felt super plump and yummy all day long. This is no mean feat when the weather
is as unpredictable as it is right now to boot, this baby really performed and
performed. Great for all skin types, it also helps neutralise environmental
aggressors with extra lasting antioxidant power.
So where does the name come from? The power of eight: it takes eight days and
what they call their own Pomegranate8 Complex™ to activate what the beauty
giant says are the “eight dimensions of radiant skin”. This means skin will
look more:

Hydrated

Nourished

Energised

Calmed

Radiantly healthy

Supple

Refined

Smoother

It also smells heavenly with notes like Sparkling
Grapefruit, Chniese Orange and Cherry Blossom in its heady but gentle mix, and is already a major hit in Asia where women really know their stuff when it comes to high performance skincare.

Sound good? Well it is, and comes with a Nutritious
Vitality8™ Radiant Overnight Crème/Mask if your skin needs a little extra love
after hours too. I haven’t tried the latter but after loving the day crème most
definitely will once my old faithful has run its course.

These beauties are on counter this coming Monday too, so if
your skin needs a little extra radiance then I wholeheartedly recommend that
you check them out.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

When it comes to applying makeup I am most definitely no
pro, and I also have a drawer full of eye shadow singles that really don’t get
the workout that they should.

So when I heard that M.A.C Cosmetics’ EYES ON M.A.C
collection was finally due to be released in New Zealand I was beyond overjoyed
– think ease, portability and killer shades and you have the perfect eye combo.

Designing your own unique eyes has never been easier thanks
to Eyes on M.A.C., a collection essentially made up of well-edited Eyes Times
Nine and Eyes Times Fifteen palettes featuring colour-coordinated hues that
offer countless combinations. Each palette provides an array of textures for
both day and night and come packaged in a convenient compact for easy
portability. Travel friendly? You bet!

The full lineup is:

Eye Shadow x 9: Amber Times Nine

Cozy Grey Cool grey (Matte)

Kitties Pale bronze (Frost)

Georgia Peach Dirty rose pink (Matte)

Ricepaper Peachy gold with shimmer (Frost)

Creative Copper Light beige (Lustre)

Cork Muted golden brown (Satin)

Don’t Tell Sparkly brown (Lustre)

Aromatic Matte brown (Matte)

Pepper Please Sparkly bronze copper brown (Velvet)

Eye Shadow x 9: Burgundy Times Nine

Honey Lust Bronze dipped peach (Lustre)

Poppyseed Mid-tone mauvey nude (Satin)

Quarry Soft muted plum brown (Matte)

Antiqued Ash brown with bronze (Veluxe Pearl)

Embark Intense reddish brown (Matte)

#Noir Deep black brown with gold pearls (Velvet)

Haux Soft muted rosy brown (Satin)

Star Violet Pinky brown plum (Veluxe Pearl)

Sketch Burgundy with red shimmer (Velvet)

Eye Shadow x 9: Purple Times Nine

Sweet Lust Soft champagne pink with pearls (Lustre)

Lightly Sugared Soft lilac with pearl (Frost)

Poignant Soft lavender (Satin)

Mancatcher Matte lavender taupe (Frost)

Satellite Dreams Plum with violet pearl (Veluxe Pearl)

Bon Nuit Deep plum (Matte)

After Dusk Soft red wine (Veluxe Pearl)

Beauty Marked Black red with sparkle pearl (Velvet)

Shadowy Lady Blackened plum (Matte)

Eye Shadow x 9: Navy Times Nine

Silver Fog Silver gray (Lustre)

Blonde Mink Pale khaki with sparkles (Lustre)

Copperplate Muted mid-tone gray (Matte)

JG Gray Frosty gray blue (Frost)

Mulled Over Matte cool blue gray (Matte)

Cast Iron Matte charcoal (Matte)

Cloudscape Khaki (Velvet)

Club Red-brown with green pearl (Satin)

Black Tied Black with silver sparkle (Velvet)

Eye shadow x 15 Warm Neutral

Hey Metallic coral (veluxe pearl )

Warm Breeze pastel coral (satin)

Gingersnap deep rosy pink (frost)

Dark Brew deep chocolate with pink pearl (velvet)

Dance In the Dark dark brown (matte)

Brule soft creamy beige (satin)

Vanilla Extract soft warm yellow-beige (frost)

Honey Lust bronze dipped peach (lustre)

Amber Lights peachy brown with shimmer (frost)

Saddle golden orange-brown (matte)

Lemon Tart metallic gold (veluxe pearl)

Butterfudge dirty mocha with gold pearl (satin)

Creative Copper frosted gold (lustre)

Unwind dirty olive (veluxe pearl)

Divine Decadence soft bronze (velvet)

Eye shadow x 15 Cool Neutral

Flounce chalky white-pink (matte)

Sweet Allure soft light pink (satin)

Sun Tweaked soft frosty coral (frost)

Blackberry muted burgundy plum-brown (matte)

After Dusk mid-tone rosy pink with pearl (veluxe pearl)

Pick Me Up pale ivory (matte)

Crushed Clove dirty gold-olive (frost)

Cozy Grey cool grey (matte)

Deception chocolate gold (frost)

Brun muted blackish brown (satin)

Silver Fog white silver with pearl (lustre)

French Clay white
grey frost (frost)

Cumulus dirty grey charcoal (frost)

Pearled Earth deep blue-grey

They arrive in New Zealand on July 6 – that’s Monday! - at
all authorized M.A.C locations.

By Helene Ravlich

About the author:

Helene Ravlich is a freelance writer based in Auckland, New Zealand. A self-confessed beauty fanatic with over fifteen years in the business of writing about all things pretty and beautiful, she has a passion for organic formulations and high performance skincare and is constantly on the search for THE perfect red lipstick. Mum to eight year old whirlwind Wolf, she has written for magazines, websites and newspapers in New Zealand and internationally and loves music, dogs and a good red wine.

Copyright Notice:

The work on PB is copyright. Apart from use permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised without the permission of Helene Ravlich, 2009.

Disclaimer:

Pretty Beautiful claims no credit for the images or magazine content featured on the blog and operates on the understanding that if we receive any complaints about the use of content or images they will be removed. To request the removal of content or images please email helene@mshelene.com